Gods Kingdom Rules (kr chap 13 para 24-32)
Paragraph 31 highlights the unprovable and unlikely claims that Jehovah changed things so the Organization could continue with its preaching and expansion plans. According to the paragraph, after the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses was implemented, several years passed. Respect for human rights increased during this time, and pressure on the Witnesses began to subside. It was in this climate that they appealed and the ban was lifted.
Then there is a large leap to the claim by Brother Holmes “During the period of that litigation, we saw how Jehovah can change things.” The paragraph cites Daniel 2:21 in support. The scripture talks about Jehovah “changing times and seasons”. Is it right to claim Jehovah was behind the increase with respect for human rights? Did he get involved in “removing kings and setting up kings”? There is no evidence presented that there was any change in government or president. Did he give “wisdom to the wise ones and knowledge to those knowing discernment”? That is the thought put forward that “the King, Jesus, had directed his people to know when and how to act.” However, we have to ask: Would any other organization in the same position have done the same thing? Most likely, Yes. In addition, if the appeal had failed would we have heard about it? Unlikely.
Paragraph 32 tries to link the allowing of missionaries, being able to build branch facilities and import Bible literature with spiritual welfare. However, should not spiritual welfare be associated with the studying and applying of God’s Word rather than these material things?
Jeremiah 52
If you read Watchtower literature about the Jewish Exile in Babylon what date and exile would you understand the Bible teaches? Undoubtedly you would understand there was one exile and that was in 607 BCE in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar. (Jeremiah 52:12) [1]
But what does the Bible really teach? Jeremiah 52:28-30 gives us a clue. Here it shows that there were at least 3 exiles.
Note when the largest number of exiles were taken:
(1) It was at the time of Jehoiachin, in Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th Year[2], 3,023[3] exiles were taken. (see also 2 Kings 24:12-16[4])
(2) Eleven years later in Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th Year[5] there was an exile in the 11th year of Zedekiah, this time only 832 exiles remained to be taken.
(3) 5 years later in the 23rd year[6] of Nebuchadnezzar 745 Jews were taken into exile. It is thought these were those who had fled earlier to Egypt and Ammon and Moab which were attacked at this time.
2 Chronicles 36:7,9,18 indicates that on at least 3 separate occasions utensils were taken from the Temple. There was possibly a 4th occasion of removal of utensils and exiling, because according to Daniel 1:2,3 in the 3rd or 4th Year of Jehoiakim, some 8 years before Jehoiachin’s exile, part of the Temple utensils were taken to Babylon and that was when Daniel and his 3 companions were also taken. Ezekiel dates events in his writings as follows. In the 9th year of Jehoiachin’s exile.., In the 11th year of Jehoaichin's exile and so on in the same pattern. So in the minds of the Jews including Jeremiah and Ezekiel the main exile was that at the time of Jehoiachin, 11 years before the complete destruction of Jerusalem. The date of 607 BCE cannot be correct then on this basis alone.
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[1] Babylonian Kings had an accession year, or to put it simply a year 0 which was the remainder of the year from their accession to the start of the next regnal year which was their 1st calendar month or April (4th month) in our calendar. For example Nebuchadnezzar likely died in early April after the start of the regnal year and so the remainder of April through to the following March was counted as Year 0 or the accession Year of Evil-merodach. The 19th year appears to be the year count, being the 18th regnal year.
[2] Regnal Year.
[3] Understood to possibly be the men who were the poor labourers and land workers.
[4] Perhaps not including the labourers and land workers, as it refers to princes, craftsmen, warriors.
[5] Regnal Year.
[6] Regnal Year.
Archived Comments
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Comment by MarthaMartha on 2017-06-08 17:41:44
Thanks Tadua
The latest watchtower study magazine has an experience to show how one family felt Jehovah had shown compassion. It was a life or death situation where they were saved by a combination of brave brothers coming their aid and a seemingly miraculous blindness of the guards who had been ordered to kill them. The paragraph carefully avoids attributing this to divine intervention but states that the family " felt" that Jehovah had intervened to save them.
I find this technique disturbing. There's no way to confirm or deny what happened or why. However the fact that this experience is recorded for the whole world of JWs in the WT is tacitly encouraging the view that here was divine intervention for one family.
As with your account in the KR book, there could be another explanation for the family's escape. Maybe the soldiers didn't want to kill them and were happy to turn a blind eye while they escaped.
If divine intervention can happen for one family, how can it not happen for all?
If a court decision can be overturned in one case, why can't it be overturned in all?
Is the Judge of all the earth selective in his compassion?
I don't doubt that divine intervention happened in ancient times and that there were miracles then and in the Early Christian times.
However those gifts were for a finite time and ended.
I find this tacit encouragement in divine intervention for the few in our days to be disrespectful to the justice of our God.
I enjoyed your review thanks. ?Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-06-09 14:22:02
Martha the technique is called mystical manipulation , it ascribes supernatural events to an unusual one , that may have other explanations . It convinces members that God is backing them and is used by many religious and political cults around the world
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-06-09 14:56:34
It's interesting that when these almost "miraculous " events happen in other religions the watchtower quote 1 corinthians 13 v 8 to 10 to try to prove that God doesn't do these things anymore , and it therefore must be satanic Mathew 24 v 24 , but at the same time ascribe thier own new light and revelations as coming from God !
Reply by mailman on 2017-06-13 03:37:58
Dear brother, you forgot that the Organization, a.k.a WT publishers would use scriptures ambivalently for as long as they prove their point. On one occasion they will condemn a belief of other religions while on a separate occasion, they will sound like they are proving otherwise.
Having the best of both worlds is good right? ;)Reply by Tadua on 2017-06-13 10:40:31
Dear mailman
You have hit the nail on the head. They want to have their cake and eat it!
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-06-15 18:33:39
War is peace , freedom is slavery , ignorance is strength it's double think ,
Comment by caasi notwen on 2017-06-09 13:22:56
Nice review Tadua. Especially appreciate your reference to the separate exiles that most JWs ignore.
Regarding the Kingdom Rules study,my wife and I were talking on the way home after the meeting about some of the comments made during the study. Two comments revolved around looking to the branch for direction when the inevitable ban comes. If there's a ban is it not possible that there will be no branch to look to, since world headquarters is in the US? Should we not be praying to our Father for guidance and using his word for direction?